To think that some parents at DTS 's nursery are being unreasonable?

[spokette]

Some parents at the nursery that my DTS attend are complaining about the nursery being closed on the afternoon of Christmas Eve. They were informed about this in November.

This morning whilst I was signing the boys in, a mother with her 10 month old daughter complained that the nursery should provide the service for those who wanted it. One of the nursery staff quite rightly pointed out that they too have their own families and needed the time to prepare/shop etc.

I was gobsmacked. The nursery will be closed for the afternoon of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The staff work really hard and deserve a break.

I understand that some parents have to work but they have known about this for a while and it is up to them to make alternative arrangements. What are they going to do once their children start school? Insist that the schools stay open until Christmas Day?

AIBU or am I missing something?

coldpenguin- nasty post. very nasty.

OK cold penguin. well i 'choose to feel' that that statememt makes you sound like a rather unpleasant and judgemental person

TimTim, mother and father are not distraught, so much so that sometimes she is not picked up until 7.30pm

When I was working and the nursery was closed xmas eve, my DD&DS had to go to their nans, who was extremely busy and got dragged around everywhere whilst she did the things she ahd to do.
I reckon they would have much preffered the xmas party at nursery.

Okay - how about 'full-time working, baby-leaving mum'.

How about full time working baby leaving DAD, or do they not count?

Spokette how do you know?? Are you there every day when the child is picked up and dropped off??? Traffic and work can be a bleeder y'know.
Also, distraught does not mean crying at the entrance, she could be putting on a show and in pieces to her DH about how much she wishes she could spend time with her DC.

And some people have to work til 7.30pm. I used to have to work til 8pm, it meant I got full days off in the week to compensate or I worked longer hours during busy times (autumn.winter) and got time off in quiter times (summer) on an annualised hours basis.

Working patterns are not all 9-5 these days you know.

TinyTim, I know of them them via a relative.

agree spokette, most people do like an early finish on xmas eve. but that will include the parents too, so in reality not that many children will be in the nursery on xmas eve. so surely the nursery could consider opening for the parents it does suit, and use nursery staff who would also prefer to take their a/l on another day, leaving plenty of nursery staff with the option of an early finish on xmas eve still. i'm not saying they have to do that, but why is it such an outrageous idea to consider.

How about 'full-time working, happy mum who loves her job and is equally happy to see her loving, energetic little boy leap out of his pushchair in the morning with a shriek of delight when we get to his childminders and he sees all his friends, and greet his mother with an equally happy shriek when she comes to pick him up in the evening'?

Though obviously it's far easier to make what you consider to be a snappy soundbite generalisation, isn't it?

Hmmm...struggling to see how "you dump your baby every morning" could be anything but judgemental.

OrmIrian, agree with your earlier post that it only gets worse once the dcs start school.

My ds' nursery also announced a month or 2 ago that, unlike previous years, they were closing early on X'mas Eve. When I chose the nursery, they only mentioned they would close 1 week a year (between X'mas and NY). So strictly speaking, they are changing the goal posts. I can't be bothered to read the fine print whether they have a legal right to unilaterally close on days outside of this one week - bearing in mind I pay a fixed fee every month, irrespective of whether the nursery is open or closed or it is a bank holiday or not.

As another poster has said, parents have paid for the nursery to be opened as normal on X'mas Eve. And working parents often have work commitments that expect them to be in on X'mas Eve.

Personally, I was able to make arrangements to cover that early closure. In fact, I agree with OrmIrian that closing early on Christmas Eve is just a drop in the ocean of disruptions once children reach school age. My dd is off school for 2 weeks over that period: 21 Dec to 4 Jan.

To the charming ColdPenguin who says: "Being a full-time working, baby-dumping mum is one thing, but if you can't even manage to spend CHRISTMAS EVE with your children - what was the point, I ask you?!?!?!?!?".

The point, darling, is that Christmas Eve is a work day like any other. Feel free to ask anyone who is in paid employment - bear in mind not everyone has a choice whether to WOH.

too little, too late coldpenguin. Why try to soften it - you said what you thought? From your tone, you obviously don't think parents should work if they have children.

Message withdrawn

Christmas week is the one week DD's nursery is shut apart from bank holidays.

How about 'nursery-using working parent'

See the difference Cold Penguin, you silly moo?

i've just searched her and she doesn't appear to be a troll.

however, she does appear to believe that "we ALL have respect for each other ".... except working mothers apparently.

what a nasty, bitter, judgemental person you sound, coldpenguin. and a hypocrite to boot.

It's probably a vast amount to do with money that this parent works full-time. If she is able to afford full-time nursery care from 7am-7:30pm then she is paying a good grand amonth in childcare. My Ds went to nursery for the minimum sessions each day and it cost me £660 per month, it was paid for as I was a single working mum at the time.
So it would seem this parent must be earning in excess of what?? £1200 per month (thats just for her childcare and petrol to and from work etc) I would assume that her dh is earning a similar amount, or surely one of them would give up work ratehr than pay the childcare bills.
Maybe they were what would have been considered as very well off before the baby came but now are having to put every extra penny DW is earning above childcare into keeping themselves afloat??

TimTim, nursery closes at 7pm.

The nursery do ask parents to let them know if they are going to be late but some parents still don't even do this, even though most of them have mobile phones.

I actually feel sorry for the staff because they do have to contend with a lot of inconsiderate behaviour. Things came to a head in the summer when a couple of parents did not turn up until 7.45pm - no apology or explanation was given and one of the staff had to cancel her dinner date with her husband to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Consequently, the manager issued a notice saying that because of this, parents would be charged £5 for every 5 minutes after 7pm.

our nursery is open every day except for christmas day and that's why we chose it.

i was in nursery from 6 weeks old. my mum had to else we would have lost our house. not everyone has the choice to stay at home.

i could stay at home if i wanted to but i went back to work when ds was 8 weeks old. i was bored out of my brain by then.

last year ds went to the cm on xmas eve and boxing day because i had to work. i also had to work xmas day but my mum was able to have him that day. she couldn't have him the other 2 days cos she also had to work.

some people don't have the choice!

You cannot be serious?

What job do you have that results in you being unable to spend Christmas Eve, Christmas Day OR Boxing Day with your son?